MBTIc Movie Reviews

[Nonpareil]

So this idea came to me last night and I thought I would start a thread about movies (new or old) for members here to discuss.

So, here it is: Please let us know what movie you've watched recently and give us your review on it. This way, we can all help each other decide on what is worth paying to see on the big screen and what is not. What is worth renting and what isn't.

Tell us:

1. The Movie Title
2. Is this movie shown at the movie theatres or can we rent it?
3. Give us a brief synopsis of the movie without ruining it for others who haven't seen the movie.
4. What did you think of this movie?
5. Was it worth watching?
6. How would you rate this movie? (1 star being very bad and 5 star being excellent, would highly recommend)
7. Any other thoughts or comments about this movie?

Thanks!

 

[Domino]

1. Mad Max
2. Rent the movie, but get the original Australian version. The goofy American overdubs ruin the flow.
3. This is an older movie so I doubt I'll be spoiling anything, but it's post-Apocalyptic AR-stralia and a battle between the cops and the badlands motorcycle gangs.
4. This is a favorite. I love Jim Goose, Bubba Zinetti and the CARS. The black Ford and the little yellow Falcon interceptors are to die for. I got a Weiand 8V-71 blower in hopes that one day I would be able to slap that bad boy on a 400 block.
5. Totally. It's kitschy and fun and weirdly engrossing. Plus, Australian dudes in tight pants.
6. Four and half or higher. It makes me feel better when I've lost my love for humanity. The Goose picking that girl up from the wrecked car is one of my favorite bits. Also, "Look at that turkey... Hey fella. You're a turkey!"
7. Roaring over-the-top fun. Gearhead heaven too.

 

[swordpath]

1. Taxi Driver
2. Rent
3. I'm gonna be a cop out and give the synopsis from amazon.com hah:
Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film," Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political, and societal anxiety. Robert De Niro, as the tortured, ex-Marine cab driver Travis Bickle, made movie history with his chilling performance as one of the most memorably intense and vividly realized characters ever committed to film. Bickle is a self-appointed vigilante who views his urban beat as an intolerable cesspool of blighted humanity. He plays guardian angel for a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), but not without violently devastating consequences. This masterpiece, which is not for all tastes, is sure to horrify some viewers, but few could deny the film's lasting power and importance. --Jeff Shannon
4. Love the movie. Slightly depressing but for whatever reason those are the kind of dramas I gravitate towards. I guess I enjoyed it just because it feels real and raw. It isn't lord of the rings, it isn't transformers, it's life, it's introspective and displays what could easily be every day life for a lot of people out there. I'm a Robert De Niro fan and I love all of Scorsese's films.
5. If the plot sounds at all interesting to you, definitely.
6. 4 1/2
7. \m/ RAWK \m/

 

[Mempy]

Pan's Labyrinth. Haha, beat you to it, suckas!

You may rent it. Not in theaters anymore, but it was out this February. It's only in Spanish subtitles, but a half hour into the movie I guarantee you'll have forgotten you're even reading subtitles. Spanish has a rhythmic feel to it anyway.

It's a macabre fairytale set in 1944. In the post-Civil War in Spain, rebels still fight in the mountains against the fascist troops. A young and imaginative girl named Ofelia travels with her pregnant, sick mother to the country to live with her brand new stepfather, the cruel, terrifying captain of the fascist troops. He slowly crushes the rebels, and he only uses Ofelia's mother so that she may bear him an heir. At night, Ofelia's fairytale comes alive in a dark and gothic manifestation of her deepest hopes. She meets a faun from the underworld who tells her she is the long-lost princess of the underworld, and that her father, the king of the underworld, wants her to return to him...

I thought this movie was one of the best movies I'll probably ever see. The way the macabre fairytale was juxtaposed with the very real and very brutal murders of her step-father is riveting. Some scenes are so real and so violent that you hold your breath. The torture and point-blank murders that take place make your heart leap up your throat and burst out of your lips. You can sympathize with all the rebel fighters, and the villain is beyond imagining... truly sick... what's more, I even wondered whether the magic in the movie was real or not for a long time...

(*****) Five stars.

Go rent it.

 

[Splittet]

1. The Fountain
2. Rentable (2006 movie)
3. The movie consists of three parallel stories, from the past, present and future. All with the same ingredients and themes–love, death, eternity.
4. Yet another masterpiece from Darren Aronofsky, the director behind the ingenious Requiem for a Dream. The Fountain is a highly abstract movie, and not very accessible. The movie is very N, although I am sure also some Ss will enjoy it, especially spiritual ones. Sure one might say the movie is pretentious, but I found it very moving, and utterly beautiful, accompanied by the ingenious music of Clint Mansell. The Fountain is a very different movie experience, highly inventive and conceptual, begging us to consider our existence. Watching The Fountain, is like meditating for two hours. Stunning visuals!
5. Definitely.
6. 5, for being different, and giving a very special experience. Might be compared to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
7. IMDb rating: 7,6

By the way, I second Mempy's opinions on Pan's Labyrinth.

 

[swordpath]

The Fountain was great. Just an overall beautiful movie.

 

[Zergling]

Die Hard: I'd suggest renting it, if you like action/thriller type movies. It involves a group of terrorost/robbers who take over a skyscraper and take people inside hostage. A cop, who is married to one of the hostages, than tries to take out and fight the terrorists. It has a lot of cool scenes with moving around in the skyscraper, as well as other nice stuff along those lines, though also has a number of stardard cliches. I'd give it 3-4 stars in this system.

Hot Fuzz: I'd definitely suggest renting this. It's a slightly twisted version of a buddy cop action movie, involving a very, very good policeman from London who gets sent to a small town with an almost 0 crime rate. I'd give it 4.5/5.

 

[The Ü™]

Live Free or Die Hard: The best of the Die Hard sequels.

Die Hard: My favorite Xmas movie.

I dunno, though, I seem to have lost my enthusiasm for movies recently. I can't understand why...

 

[Nonpareil]

I dunno, though, I seem to have lost my enthusiasm for movies recently. I can't understand why...

Maybe, I think because there are so many bad movies coming out right now.

 

[The Ü™]

Maybe, I think because there are so many bad movies coming out right now.

No, I think it's just because I'm sick of going to the movies with my father all the time because I have no one else to go with...I'm 22, but I feel like I'm 10. My attempts to be more independent have so far failed.

 

[Othon]

Psht, I too was going to do Pan's Labyrinth. x[
Five stars indeed.

 

[The Ü™]

Psht, I too was going to do Pan's Labyrinth. x[
Five stars indeed.

Why am I the only one who is not fond of that movie?

I like Guillermo del Toro, but I just didn't like that movie.

 

[swordpath]

No, I think it's just because I'm sick of going to the movies with my father all the time because I have no one else to go with...I'm 22, but I feel like I'm 10. My attempts to be more independent have so far failed.

Cheer up, bud.

 

[Recoleta]

Psht, I too was going to do Pan's Labyrinth. x[
Five stars indeed.

Yeah, that was on my list as well. I just bought it brand new on DVD for $7.99...I guess it's not too popular (although it should be). I've seen a good number of Spanish films (since it was my major in college) and Pan's Labyrinth is by far the best I have seen.

 

[white]

here's some international flavour.

1. The Movie Title
Lust, Caution

2. Is this movie shown at the movie theatres or can we rent it?
You may have to rent it where you're at.

3. Give us a brief synopsis of the movie without ruining it for others who haven't seen the movie.
A group of idealistic students, during the Japanese occupation years in Shanghai, come up with a plan to entrap a Japanese sympathizer / traitor. But what starts as games soon erases innocence and lives.

4. What did you think of this movie?
A beautifully shot movie of little looks and gestures. The emotional detachment and moral ambivalence strangely makes the sensuality and unspoken despair more absorbing.

The opening scene of the women languidly playing mahjong, with perfectly coiffed hair, cheongsams and red, red nails, exchanging small talk laden with innuendos, captures the time when women were women still.

Questions the price of ideals, what makes a man. The fragile lines between love, desire and duty.

5. Was it worth watching?
Yes. But it is not a movie for those without patience. Or prefer happy endings.

You end up feeling let down by the hero, attracted to the villain and fascinated by the flawed heroine.

6. How would you rate this movie? (1 star being very bad and 5 star being excellent, would highly recommend)
Among the better Chinese films I've seen this year.

7. Any other thoughts or comments about this movie?
The sex scenes were censored in China, where a wag quipped "If 200mn Chinese saw those, they may be inspired and we'd end up with 100mn new citizens 9 months from now".

 

[Roger Mexico]

Why am I the only one who is not fond of that movie?

I like Guillermo del Toro, but I just didn't like that movie.

I didn't find it particularly interesting. Just a bunch of random "fantasy" scenes padding out a basic story that's not particularly compelling or original. One of those movies where it ends and you go "WTF? That was it?"

Uh, last really good movie I saw was:

1. The Movie Title

"Children of Men"

2. Is this movie shown at the movie theatres or can we rent it?

rent it

3. Give us a brief synopsis of the movie without ruining it for others who haven't seen the movie.

Set in a near-future England after an unknown medical condition has rendered all humans infertile, the story revolves around a depressed and cynical government employee who ends up responsible for the well-being of a young girl who he discovers is pregnant. In the wake of the wrrldwide crisis that has resulted from universal infertility, the British government has resorted to harsh measures to control a burgeoning population of immigrants. The pregnant girl, an immigrant, is first seen in the care of a radical organization fighting for immigrant rights, but the main character believes that they will only try to use her for political ends. He also does not trust the authorities, who would fear the political implications of the first human child born in twenty years being an immigrant. He thus seeks to safeguard the girl long enough to make contact with an organization rumored to be studying the infertility in the hopes of curing it.

4. What did you think of this movie?

I was impressed. It has very realistic feel to it, especially for a film with a science-fiction premise. The cinematography creates a very compelling sense of being in the real world. The characters are well fleshed out, complex, and very believable. The film avoids common cliches--the hero (played by Clive Owen) is a complicated, flawed individual struggling to do the right thing under difficult circumstances, definitely not a one-dimensional action hero.

5. Was it worth watching?

Definitely. Like I said, I was impressed. It's compelling, interesting, and ultimately moving.

6. How would you rate this movie? (1 star being very bad and 5 star being excellent, would highly recommend)

Four to five. I never give anything a perfect rating, but this one was better than anything I've seen in years.

7. Any other thoughts or comments about this movie?

The scenes showing how immigrants are treated in government detention camps are genuinely frightening. The film does a good job of telling a story with a lot of emotional weight without resorting to melodrama, and addresses political issues without wearing an agenda on its sleeve. I didn't think they made movies like that any more.

 

[miss fortune]

1. The Movie Title
Killer Klowns from Outer Space

2. Is this movie shown at the movie theatres or can we rent it?
you can rent it

3. Give us a brief synopsis of the movie without ruining it for others who haven't seen the movie.
ummm... basically a similar concept to The Blob, except for it's evil alien clowns instead!

4. What did you think of this movie?
It's so horrible that I it!!! (the people who made it were aware that it was bad, so it's bad in a GOOD way!)

5. Was it worth watching?
totally! I suggest the game of "drink every time you see a clown!" you'll enjoy it!

6. How would you rate this movie? (1 star being very bad and 5 star being excellent, would highly recommend)
****1/2

7. Any other thoughts or comments about this movie?
bad 80's horror movie- in a good way!

YouTube - Killer Klowns From Outer Space Theatrical Trailer (1988)

 

[Metamorphosis]

1. The Movie Title
Killer Klowns from Outer Space

In that case, you would like Santa's Slay. Once I saw the opening scene I was captivated.

 

[miss fortune]

oooh- sounds awesome! I'll have to check that out!

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Why am I the only one who is not fond of that movie?

I like Guillermo del Toro, but I just didn't like that movie.

It's not just you. I enjoyed the movie, but I don't get the rapturous reviews. I really liked the parts with the evil general, but the fantasy parts failed to grab me.